Pruven Evolution - 2005 Mitsubishi Evolution VIII MR

Stroked To 2.3 Liters And Heavily Boosted

It's no secret that the rally-bred Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution has the ability to outrun just about every car you can throw at it. Since its inception in the early '90s, the Evo has been a masterpiece in technical design, with tenacious all-wheel-drive grip and a plethora of electronic gizmos, not to mention the extremely hard-working 4G63 motor. Now in its 9th generation, and with the 10th just around the corner, the Evo finally has its foot firmly in the door of U.S. dealers. Tuners nationwide are realizing the staggering potential of these cars.

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| Barely visible is the unique Infiniti throttle body toward the back, connected to the Kansai intake manifold that required a relocated ABS box to be installed.

The news that Mitsubishi was finally bringing their WRX competitor stateside had many car lovers giddy with excitement, only to find out that, like so many Japanese products, the car would be coming over as a tamer machine, one deemed more fit for the American public. The change to wider seats and the sunroof option were almost comical. However, the lack of an ACD (active center differential) and AYC (active yaw control) had no one laughing. These technical wonders practically defined the Evo; to remove them from the U.S. cars was seen by many as sacrilege. The true enthusiasts couldn't sleep soundly until the arrival of the Evo MR for 2005. Boasting the return of the ACD (although no AYC), a six-speed gearbox and Bilstein shock absorbers, among other advancements, the MR was the Evo that gearheads had been waiting for. It did not disappoint.

On hearing this news, New Jersey resident Michael Ko immediately bolted to his local Mitsubishi dealership to place a deposit. Even before taking delivery, Michael started attending local club meets, acquainting himself with the Evo circle. He even began choosing and ordering his aftermarket parts. As there was no shortage of parts available from which to choose, he soon had a plane full of mods on the way from Japan. He laid everything out in his living room, arranged as though they were on the car, and sat in his Bride seats in anticipation.

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| The 2-piece, 355mm rotors from Project Mu bring this Evo down from speed with authority, and are easily visible behind the 18-inch wheels from Rays engineering.

After a few months, he got the call saying his car had arrived, and within an hour he was at the dealer with a briefcase full of cash. Aside from a few suspicious looks and a trip to the bank to count the money, all went as planned, and Michael was finally the proud owner of a Graphite Gray Evo MR.

Although he knew he would have to wait out the 1000-mile break-in period before doing anything crazy, there was nothing to stop him from spending time with Evo-NY, his local Evo club, to soak up as much advice as he could. After the break-in period, he took his business to long-time Connecticut tuner Pruven Performance, where he first met Dan Cokic. Thoroughly impressed with Dan's hands-on attitude and obvious know-how, Michael knew this was the right guy to talk to. After Dan put him in contact with Al Friedman of Dynoflash to schedule a preliminary tuning, Michael drove up with the modifications he'd purchased to see what he and Al could pull off. Before long, the car was starting to put down some impressive numbers with simple mods. Michael was happy with this until he heard of other Evo owners swapping out their turbos. He knew he'd have to get a touch more serious than his current bolt-ons to keep up.

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| The custom free flowing muffler from ARC is fabricated from titanium, and helps the Evo's bark to match its bite.

Dan's first recommendation was a stand-alone engine management system, and Michael soon settled on the F-Con V Pro from HKS. After the install, the car was immediately smoother and stronger, so Michael began to look at his turbo options. He was astonished by how many kits were already available, and decided to hold off until he knew for sure which way to go.

In the meantime, Michael focused on the car's other aspects. He picked up a Project Mu 355 mm brake kit and a set of Volk Racing CE28N wheels from Tire & Wheel Connection. They got the car into the Mackin Industries display booth at the 2005 SEMA show.

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| The g-forces that this Evo can produce require serious support for the occupants-these leather seats from Bride, along with 4-point harnesses from Takata, are up to the task.

In the meantime, Michael focused on the car's other aspects. He picked up a Project Mu 355 mm brake kit and a set of Volk Racing CE28N wheels from Tire & Wheel Connection. They got the car into the Mackin Industries display booth at the 2005 SEMA show.

While at the show, Michael realized he could wait no longer for his turbo swap. So he called up his friends at Z1 Performance, and they hooked him up with a system from AMS. Utilizing a GT35R turbo with an anti-surge compressor housing, this setup was capable of producing frightening power with very quick spool up. He brought the car to Pruven Performance to have Dan begin a complete engine build for the new ball bearing turbo. However, as the build was nearing completion, Michael heard news from Al at Dynoflash that a 2.3L stroker kit was also achieving great success. Testing the limits of Dan's patience, Michael asked him to remove the motor yet again for another rebuild-this time with the stroker kit. It was now sporting JE pistons, Crower rods with ARP bolts, HKS camshafts, a Supertech valvetrain, and many other mods. Michael asked him to spare no expense and make this the strongest, most reliable motor he'd ever built.

By the time the stroked motor was completed, Michael's HKS Kansai intake manifold had arrived from Japan. As they attempted to install it, they found out that it didn't fit on the USDM Evo, but Michael was not willing to give up on the manifold simply because an ABS box was in the way. After Dan was finally able to engineer a solution to relocate it, the new manifold fit like a glove.

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| The Garrett GT35R ball bearing turbo supplied with the AMS kit is a snug fit in the cramped engine bay, and makes for an impressive focal point under the hood.

In searching for a throttle body suited to their needs, they found their answer in an unlikely place: Nissan. It turns out that a throttle body for the Infiniti Q45 had all the characteristics they were looking for. After major rewiring, they got the Nissan TPS communicating properly with the Evo-and got results they were hoping for. The monster motor build was done. And running like a dream.

At this point, the stock clutch needed to be swapped out for something a little stronger, so Dan and Michael opted for a twin-disc setup from Cusco. After reviewing the self-leveling clutch plates, they knew this would best suit their application.

Turning his attention now to the suspension, Michael turned to Tommy Passalacqua at Miller Motorcars Ferrari to set him up with a suspension system that used Bilstein PSS9 coilovers, Ralliart front strut mounts, and Cusco pillow ball mounts in the rear. Michael believes this is probably the best option for the Evo out there. Being that his focus is primarily street use, with some light competition, the Bilstein coilovers were a perfect fit, with their excellent ride comfort and ease of adjustment.

The car is still Michael's daily driver, and gets him to and from work without complaint. Even though it's capable of laying down over 500 bhp on command, it's a remarkably well-behaved machine, and hasn't had a single mechanical issue to date. Although he's spent about $100K on the car, he doesn't regret any of it, saying that since you only live life once, you should live it to the fullest.